Method of applying insecticides to vegetable matter



Feb. 17, 1931. J NEULs 1,792,860

METHOD OF APPLYING INSECTICIDES TO VEGETABLE MATTER Filed March 16, 1929 gwuemtov Patented Feb. 17, 1931 uulrno STATES x-r'es1 g mcs JOSEPH :o. NEULS, onwnn'rma, camronmq mac!) or nrrmzme nsnc'rrcmns'jro vnearannn m'rrnn A umm'nand much 16,

" This invention relates to a method of a plying insecticides, fungicides and other toxic agents to growing vegetable matter and other,

materials which may be benefited by the up {5 plication of such insecticides, fungicides and the like. More particularly the invention relates to a method of extracting elements having toxic and insecticidal properties. from oils and othervolatile insecticides and to a method of applying such extracted constituents to vegetable growingwmatter.

v Oily materials have some time as. insecticides and fungicides. For example, oil and oil containing materials have been used for years in the form of emulsions. All of these oils and oil containing materials have been employed in liquid form and depend upon contact between the insecticides and the insect, fungus or scale to be killed.

In order to produce this contact between the insect or scale and the oil, the liquid compounds such as oil emulsions have been re-" duced to the form of fine sprays and applied to the vegetable matter in this form. It is almost impossible to efiiciently spray a composition containing or composed .of oil in any large quantity, and for this reason oily insecticides are emulsified in order to enable the oil to'be thus delivered with water and applied with spray machinery. I

Thorough contact between liquid insectie cides and fungicides and insects or scales is hard to attain, as mechanical difiiculties ofdistribution are great. For example, no matter how fine a spray is produced by thespray-' ing machine it is almost impossi le to cause the spray to e delivered from a suitable nozzle in such manner as to break through heavy foliage-on trees for example, and come in contact with insects and scales on the inner branches of the tree. Sprays are easily deflected by leaves and branches on the exterior of the tree, and for this reason the central or internal parts of a bush or tree are seldom adequately reached by insecticides when applied in this form. I

. An object of this invention is to disclose and provide a method of applying insecticides and fungicides whereby all portions of en employed for 1929. Serial no. 847,526.;

growing vegetable matter may come into thorough contact with the insecticide.

Another object is to disclose and provide a method whereby liquid insecticides and fungicides may be applied to growing vegetable matter without reducing such insecticides to the form of a spray.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method whereby oils normally in liquid form may be applied to matter wlthout emulsification of 8110110118.

A still further object of this invention is to disclose and provide a method whereby crude, unrefined oils containing constituents dangerous to plant growth and highly toxic to insects may be applied to vegetable matter without injuring such vegetable matter.

A still further object of this invention is to disclose and provide a method of apply-' ing insecticides and fungicides, normally in liquid form, in the form of a vapor to a vegetable growth, the vaporized constituents then condensing upon intimate portions of the vegetable growth.

Petroleum or m neral oils in their natural state contain unsaturated hydrocarbons which are highly toxic to insects, but also dangerous to plants. It has been impossible to use such'crude oils as insecticides and fungicides as plant growth is greatly retarded, if 0 not destroyed, when such oils are used. Consequentl ,petroleum and mineral oils have been re' ed before use as insecticides and in the refinement-of these oils the quantity of unsaturated h drocarbon is materially reduced. In re ing the oils to a degree of safety required by the host plants the toxic compounds aresimultaneously reduced to a point where they are of little eifect agains certain types of insects. I

It has been possible to use oils of pronounoed toxicity provided such oils are very volatile and leave the plant to which they have been applied quickly. Such oils are efiective against insects which are unarmored,

.but are of little avail against armored insects. The more highly refined oils, that is oils which are less volatile, depend primarily upon their smothering properties to affect the insect, and these latter oils are more owingvegetable 00 i efi'ective against the armored scales and insects which have more than one annual generation.

Unfortunately, the'highly refined, heavier and less Volatile oils have been found to have more various physiological effects upon plants, the damage not being apparent until weeks after treatment. As a result'of these experiences, the present trend of the art is toward a highly refined oil of medium volatility, to WlllCll a toxic compound such as alkaloid is added to com nsate for the toxicity lost durin the re ing process of the oil. The use 0% combination with toxic compounds and alkaloids greatly increases the cost of properly controlling insects and scales.

As has been stated before, the oil containing insecticides and fungicides have been heretofore applied in the form of spray to plants. In accordance with the process embraced by my invention, the oils or oily materials are applied in the form of a vapor .which more thoroughly impregnates bushes,

trees and other dense growing vegetable matter and intimately comes in contact with all portions of the plants.

It is to be understood that numerous materials may be employed in carrying out the method disclosed herein, but for purposes of illustration reference will be had to the application of a mineral oil containing toxic compounds of insecticidal value.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the appended drawing, in which one form of apparatus adapted to be used in carrying out the method is shown.

In carrying out my process any combustible material impregnated with a combustible oil or an oil which is liquid under normal conditions of temperature and pressure may be employed. The carrier material may be either organic or inorganic. For example, saw-dust may be used as a carrier for the oil, such saw-dust being burned-or charred during the process of vaporizing the oil. Instead of using an organic material such as saw-dust an inorganic material such as, for example, porous blocks of ceramic material or natural inorganic material such as pumice or diatomaceous earth, shale or the like may be employed.

The insecticide and fungicide may consist of any oily material, liquld at normal temperatures, or it may consist of a solid capable of being va orized or sublimated. As an example of t e latter class, I may use paradichlorbenzene. In all instances, however, the insecticide is mixed with or absorbed upon a porous carrier such as, for example, the organic or inorganic carriers mentioned hereinabove, and preferably the carriers when moistened with a small percentage of water so as to retard the return of combustion.

When an inorganic material impregnated these highly refined oils in with a mineral oil is used in my process, for example when an oil shale is employed, the shale may be moistened with about ten per cent, by weight, of water. It is to be understood that the use of water in this step of the process is not essential, but is dependent combustion are preferably blown against or H directed onto the vegetable growing matter which it is desired to rid of insects and scales. The oils, oily compounds or insecticidal constituents present 1n such oils are thus reduced to a vapor, caused to contact with, enter into and permeate the foliage of trees, shrubs and the like, thereby comin into direct contact with insects and scafizs at all points of the bush or tree.

The apparatus shown on the appended drawing may be employed to good advantage in generating and distributin the insecticide in'the form of vapor. Referring to the drawing, the apparatus may consist of a generator 10 which may be a portable, upright, cylindrical furnace provided with a grating 11 near the bottom thereof, and with air inlets or perforations 12 below such grating 11. Means for controlling the number of apertures 12 in direct communication between the interior and outside air may be controlled by means of dampers or closures. For example, the perforations 12 may be adjustably closed or opened by means 0 closure plates 13 attached exteriorly of the generator 10 and provided with slotted openings 14 cooperating with a pin or pins 15 attached to the generator 10. I The closure members 13 are preferably provided with apertures 16 adapted to comcide with apertures 12 made in the generator 10. By sliding the closure member 13 the openings 12 and 16 may be caused to coincide or assume a staggered relation whereby the total area of air inlets is materially reduced or completely eliminated.

The generator 10 may also be provided with means for feeding the same with the carrier material impregnated with the oil or oily compound which it is desired to apply to the vegetable matter. For example, the

generator 10 may be provided with a hinged door 17 in the upper portion of said generator, through which'the carrier material 18 may be inserted. A chimney or outlet pipe '19 is preferably connected with the upper portion of the generator 10, said outlet pipe 19 leading to the suction inlet of a suitable 'fan or blower 20 (driven by any suitable means, not shown). A flexib e hose or pipe 21 is then preferably connected to the exhaust outlet 22 of the fan or blower 20, the

flexible pipe or hose 21 terminating, if desired, in a suitable nozzle such as the flat fish-tail nozzle 23.

In carrying out my process the oil impregnated material 18 is placed within the generator 10, the suction fan 20 is started, and the oil impregnated carrier material is'ignited at the bottom of the generator. Suflicient air is drawn through the ports 12 so as to maintain a partial or incomplete combustion of the material 18 within the generator 10. As such material burns the oily constituents of the material are vaporized and partially cracked.

In addition, moisture inherently present-in the carrier material, or water which had been added thereto, is also vaporized, and all of these vapors of oil, water or other volatile substances present in the carrier material pass through the outlet pipe 19 and are discharged by the fan 20 into the tube or hose 21.

Such vapors are thence blown throu h the nozzle 23 onto the host plant where t e va-' pors permeate the plant thoroughly and condense on the foliage.

this process is of the appearance and consistency of smoke. Again certain types of armored scales an insects it may be advisable to use a covering such as is used in-fumigation, over the plants. The apparatus illustrated on'the attached drawings may be either stationary or, obf

viousl it may be mounted on any movable base or transporting the same through an orchard or cultivated tract which it is desired.

to rid of insects, for examfple the apparatus may be carried by aircra and .the vapors applied from above.

Inasmuch as the constituents of mineral oils exert the greatest .toxic affect upon insects, it is unnecessary,

and it may be undesirable, to completely vaporize all of the constituents of carriers im pregnated with heavy mineral oils. Forexample, when oil shale is the material employed in the generator 10, a condenser may be installed in the pipe line 19 or 21, said condenser being adapted to remove the heavy fractions of oil vaporized in the generator 10.

A condenser of this character, however,

should not condense or remove the vapors of the lighter, more volatile and tions.

It is to be understood that, if desired, dusting, fumi ating and other materials and methods 0 known character may be emplo ed conjointly withor in addition to the met od described herein. For example insecticidal and fungicidal dusting materials such as callighter and more volatile I more toxic fraccally mentioned ierein, as any oil or oily in-.

secticide, or as a matter of fact, any insecticide or fungicide capable of being vaporized may be employed in carryin out my process. There are a multitude 0% substances and compositions which may be employed in my process, and the voluminous prior art is referred to for these substances in detail.

The invention is not limited, therefore, to the specific material disclosed herein, but embraces all the modifications and changes which come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a method of applying insecticides and fungicides the steps of subjecting a porous carrier impregnated with a mineral oil to a simultaneous distillation and incomplete combustion, and bringing the vapors gener- The vapor produced in'accordance with impregnating a porous carrier with a liquid containing mineral oil, subjecting said carrier to a simultaneous distillation and incomplete combustion, and bringing the vapors generated by such distillation and incomplete combustion into intimate contact with vegetaple growths infested with insects and sea es.

3. In a method of applying insecticides to vegetable growths, the steps of impregnating a porous carrier with a liquid containin mineraloil, moistening said impregnated carrier with an aqueous liquid, sub ecting said moistened impregnated carrier to incomplete Combustion, and bringing vapors generated by such incomplete combustion in contact with vegetable growths.

4. In a method of applying insecticides,

the steps of impregnating a porous combustiblecarrier with a liquid containing mineral oil, subjecting said carrier to incomplete combustion, and bringing the vapors generated by such incomplete combustion into intimate contact with vegetable growths infested with insects and scales- 5. A method of a plying insecticides and fungicides to vegeta le growths, comprising subjecting mineral oil to a simultaneous distillation and incomplete combustion, and then bringing the vapors generated by such distillation and incomplete combustion into intimate contact wit vegetable growths infested with insects and scales. 6. In a method of applying insecticides 5 and fungicides, the ste s of sub ecting an insecticide, normally in hquid state, to a simultaneous distillation and incomplete combus tion, and then bringing the vapors generated by such distillation and incomplete combustion into intimate contact with yegetable growths infested with insects and scales. 7. In a method of applying insecticides and fungicides, the steps of subjecting a porous carrier containin a liquid insecticide and fungicide absorbe therein to a simultaneous distillation and incomplete combustion, and bringing the vapors generated by su'ch distillation and incomplete combustion into in- 'timate contact with insects and scales. 2o Signed at Los Angels, 09.1., this 5th day of March, 1929. v

JOSEPH D. NEULS. 

